Record card handling and locating apparatus

ABSTRACT

The disclosure embodies a guideway into which a record card is manually inserted and moved therealong until the leading edge of the card is stopped by a retractable stop member which locates the card at a reference point to a card punching station. A portion of the guideway, anterior to the punching station, is restricted by a holder which frictionally holds the card in its precisely located position and is displaceable laterally to move the card against a feed means or pin wheel which thereafter incrementally feeds the card past the punch. The holder is differentially biased in opposite directions so that normally it functions as a restricted portion of the guideway, the differential being overcome by a manually operated means for retracting the stop member. A latch member responsive to retraction of the stop member holds the latter and the holder retracted and the latch member initiates a latch releasing cam.

United States Patent Y lnventor Georg K. Caspari Plymouth, Mich. Appl. No. 740,623 Filed June 27, 1968 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 Assignee Burroughs Corporation Detroit, Mich.

RECORD CARD HANDLING AND LOCATING APPARATUS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 271/53; 271/60 Int. Cl B65h 7/08, B65h 9/06 Field ol'Search 271/53, 60, 58

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,005,537 10/1961 Schmeck 27l/53X 4/1966 Dammeier 271/53 Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka Attorneys- Kenneth L. Miller and Wallace P. Lamb ABSTRACT: The disclosure embodies a guideway into which a record card is manually inserted and moved therealong until the leading edge of the card is stopped by a retractable stop member which locates the card at a reference point to a card punching station. A portion of the guideway, anterior to the punching station, is restricted by a holder which frictionally holds the card in its precisely located position and is displaceable laterally to move the card against a feed means or pin wheel which thereafter incrementally feeds the card past the punch. The holder is differentially biased in opposite directions so that normally it functions as a restricted portion of the guideway, the differential being overcome by a manually operated means for retracting the stop member. A latch member responsive to retraction of the stop member holds the latter and the holder retracted and the latch member initiates a latch releasing cam.

PATENTEU F-EB 1615a 3563 534 sum 1 0F 6 iiiiii lllllllll Illlllllllilllll GEORG K. CASPARI PATENTEU FEET 6197i SHEET 2 BF 6 NdE PATENTEU E81 6 mi sun-3r 3 of I 6 mdE PATENTEU FEB] s 1971 3 563 534 sum 5 OF 6 I card handling and locating RECORD CARD HANDLING AND LOCATING APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of mechanism for locating a record card in a precise position to a punch and in the provision of a displaceable holder which normally forms a portion of the card guideway. Further, the invention resides in the provision of mechanism for retracting the stop member and simultaneously effecting displacement of the holder to move the card laterally into engagement with a pin wheel without disturbing the relationship between the leading edge of the card and the punch. In addition, the invention resides in the provision of a latch member which responds to retraction of the stop member to latch the latter and the holder retracted and initiates a latch release cam to restore the stop member and holder after the card clears the latter.

In the Drawings: v

FIG. I is a front view partly broken away and in section of a apparatus, embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. I and showing the operating operating parts in :their normal positions; 1

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the operating parts in the positions they will assume in operation;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view with parts removed to show certain of the operatingmechanism in elevation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view, taken along theline 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of certain parts of FIG. 5 shown in operating positions.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the apparatus shown includes a supporting structure haviiig a base plate 10, an upper horizontal mounting plate 12 and an intermediate plate I4. A housing 16 encloses the supporting struc .ture and extending along the front of the housing there is a record card guideway 18 comprising a pair of upright plate members 20, 21, spaced apart to guide a card 22 on edge or in .an upright attitude. The plate 20 is the front wall of the housing 16. As viewed in FIGS. 1 and2, the guideway 18 has a threat 24 at the leftward end of the guideway and, in the present apparatus, a card 22 is inserted manually into the throat 24 and rightwardly along the guideway. The manually inserted card 22 is to be fed incrementally along the guideway I8 past a perforator (not shown) at a card punching station, designated by the dot and dash line 26 in FIG. 2. The numeral 28 designates a removable chad receiver or box, shown in FIG. 1.

A card transport mechanism for incrementally advancing a record card past the perforator station 26 may be of any suitable type and .may include a pair of pin wheels 30 and 32 spaced apart along the guideway- 18. The pin wheels 30 and 32 are respectively affixed onto the upper ends of a pair of vertical shafts 34 and 36 journaled in the plates and 12. The pin wheels 30 and 32 project into the guideway 18 to engage in a line of prepunched holes 37 in a record card, the pin wheel 32 being located adjacent the throat 24 0f the guideway 18, as Shown in FIG. 2. Below the mounting plate 12, the shafts 34 and 36 have a driving connection therebetween which includes an intermediate gear 38 meshing with a driving gear 40 on shaft 34 and a driven gear 42 on shaft 36. The driving shaft 36 may be connected to the drive shaft of an electric motor (not shown) by a timing belt 43 or other suitable drive connection. Mechanisms for incrementally rotating the driving gear 40 and controlling operation thereof have not been shown since such mechanism forms no part of the present invention.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, a card stop member 44 normally projects into the guidewayl8 in the path of card travel and is pivoted, as at 46,- to an arm 48 of a lever 50. The lever 50 is affixed onto an upright rotatable shaft 52 which is journaled in the base and supporting plates 10 and 12. As shown, the lever arm 48 normally extends along and in back of the guideway 18 and has an enlarged portion 54 which seats against the back of the guide plate 20. A coil spring 56 yieldingly urges the lever arm 48 to its normal position against the guide plate 20. The lever arm 48 is further biased in one or the other direction by an overcenter coil spring 58 which is supported at one end thereof by a bracket 59, secured to the mounting plate 12 by screws 61. An arm 62 of the pivoted stop member 44 has a surface 64 arranged to abut the rear edge of lever arm 48 as a stop to limit angular displacement of the stop member 44. This displacement occurs when the leading edge of a card, manually placed in the guideway 18, engages and pivots the stop member 44 to the position shown in dot and dash lines in FIG. 2. In this position, the leading edge of the card is located at a reference line 65, precisely a predetermined distance from the center line of the perforator, designated by the line 26. A coil spring 66 returns the stop member 44 to normal position and like the stop member is carried by the lever arm 48. v

Adjacent the base plate 10, there is a lever 70 affixed onto the shaft 52 and the lever is connected preferably by a spring 72 or other yieldable connection to a key 74 for the convenience of the machine attendant. It will be seen that by depressing the key 74, the shaft 52will be rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2, rotating lever 48 in the same direction so as to retract the stop member 44 from the guideway 18.

Within and forming an inner throat and a restricted portion of the guideway there is a card holder, designated generally by the numeral 76. The holder 76 includesa platelike arm 77 which positions in a clearance opening'in the guide plate 21 and is pivoted on the shaft 52, the arm being below the mounting plate 12, as shown in FIG. 4. The plate portion of the arm 77 is offset inwardly to project into the guideway 18, the offset portion providing a pad 78 to engage flat against a card inserted into the guideway. The flat surface, of the pad 78, normally engages an opposed flat surface 79 of a cooperating holder component 82 which is normally positioned in an opening 81 provided in the guide plate 20. The holder component 82 is affixed onto the shaft 52 and a coil spring 84 urges the pad 78 against the holder component. The spring 84 is overcome by the stronger spring 56 such that spring 84 is only ef -fective to cause the holder pad 78 to follow the holder com ponent 82 when lever 48 is pivoted counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2.

A latch member 86 is provided to hold the stop member 44 and the holder 76 retracted following release of the key 74, the latch member being pivotally mounted on the mounting plate by a pin 88. An arm 90 of the latch member 86 extends across the lever arm 48 and has a downturned latching flange 92. Normally the latch member 86 is in unlatched position with its latching flange 92 held against in edge 94 of lever 48 by the spring 56, as shown in FIG. 2. When the lever 48 is pivoted counterclockwise through a predetermined displacement, the latch lever 86 will be free to pivot also counterclockwise such that its flange 92 will position under the edge 96 of lever 48 to latch the lever against immediate return, as shown in FIG. 3.

A latch releasing cam 98, preferably having serrations about its periphery is rotatable on an arm of lever 86 and is pivotal into contact with the periphery of the resilient or rubber rim of a wheel 100 when the lever 86 pivots to latching position, as shown in Flg. 3. The cam 98 is rotated incrementally each time the pin wheels 30, 32 are incrementally rotated whereby to release the latch member 86 and, therefore, the holder 76 at about the time that the card leaves the holder. A coil spring 102 has one end connected to the cam and the other end anchored to the shaft 52, the spring being effective to return the cam to normal position upon disengagement of the cam from the drive wheel 100.

An upstanding flange 104 of the bracket 60 is located rearwardly of an abutting surface 106 on the rear end of the pivotal stop member 44. The flange- 104 functions to limit pivoting of the lever 50 in the event the machine operator should depress the key 74 without first having placed a record card in the guideway. This occurs because if the stop member 44 is not pivoted, as by insertion of a card into the guideway 18, the upper end 106 of the stop member 44 will not clear the flange I04 when the lever 50 is pivoted.

OPERATION The operator manually inserts a record card into the throat 24 of the holder 76 and moves the card rightwardly between the pad 78 and plate 82, the leading edge of the card engaging and pivoting the stop member 44 until the latter is limited by engagement of its surface 64 with the upper edge of lever 48 In this position of the card, the leading edge thereof is at the reference line 65, a predetermined distance from the center line 26 of the punch. The operator now depresses the key 74 which rotates the shaft 52 and pivots the lever 48 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 which retracts the stop member 44 from the path of card travel and at the same time displaces the card holder 76 laterally toward the card feed wheel 32. The holder plate 76, under the tension of the spring 84, follows the holder component 82 until the former is stopped by the hub of the pin wheel 32, holding the card in mesh with the pins of the wheel 32, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. Following engagement of the holder plate 76 with the hub of the wheel 32, the cooperating holder 82 pivots away from the plate to effect release of the card 22 which is now under control of the pin wheel 32, Also, upon a predetermined angular displacement of the lever arm 48. The flange 92 of the latch member 86 clears the front edge 96 of lever 48 and under the action of spring 56 the flange engages forwardly of the lever edge 96 to hold the lever 48 in the latched position shown in FIG. 3. Counterclockwise rotation of the latch member 86 moves the latch release cam 98 into engagement with the driven wheel 100. It will thus be seen that for every increment of movement of the card past the punch, the cam 98 is rotated clockwise a corresponding increment which pivots the latch member 86 in a like direction until the latch releases the lever 48 whereupon the operating parts of the mechanism are restored to their normal positions shown in FIG. 2.

Iclaim:

1. Record card handling and locating apparatus comprising a guideway having a reference point for the location of the leading edge of a card, a retractable stop member normally projecting into said guideway in the path ofthe leading edge of a card to locate said edge at the reference point, an operating member operatively connected to said stop member and operable to retract the latter from the path of card travel, card feed means laterally positioned from said guideway, and a card holder within said guideway anteriorly to said stop member including a first plate and a second plate normally in relative broadside relationship to receive a card therebetween, said first plate biased to move a card broadside against said feed means, and said second plate biased to restrain said first bias and overcome by said operating means on retraction by the latter of said stop member.

2. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim I with the addition of a latch member operable by and upon retraction of said stop member to latch the latter retracted,

3. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 1 with the addition of a latch member operable upon retraction of said stop member to latch the latter and said holder in retracted position.

4. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 1 with the addition of a latch release cam movable into operating engagement with said feed means by and upon retraction of said stop member.

5. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 4 wherein said latch release cam is carried by said latch member. 

1. Record card handling and locating apparatus comprising a guideway having a reference point for the location of the leadIng edge of a card, a retractable stop member normally projecting into said guideway in the path of the leading edge of a card to locate said edge at the reference point, an operating member operatively connected to said stop member and operable to retract the latter from the path of card travel, card feed means laterally positioned from said guideway, and a card holder within said guideway anteriorly to said stop member including a first plate and a second plate normally in relative broadside relationship to receive a card therebetween, said first plate biased to move a card broadside against said feed means, and said second plate biased to restrain said first bias and overcome by said operating means on retraction by the latter of said stop member.
 2. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 1 with the addition of a latch member operable by and upon retraction of said stop member to latch the latter retracted.
 3. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 1 with the addition of a latch member operable upon retraction of said stop member to latch the latter and said holder in retracted position.
 4. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 1 with the addition of a latch release cam movable into operating engagement with said feed means by and upon retraction of said stop member.
 5. Record card locating and handling apparatus as defined by claim 4 wherein said latch release cam is carried by said latch member. 